51ºÚÁÏ

Jimmy Snuggerud became the Next New Thing as he jumped into the lineup at the end of last year and made a splash as a scoring line winger. Then Justin Carbonneau arrived in this summer’s draft and turned heads at the Blues development camp.

So Dvorsky will be just one piece of the team’s long-term offensive future.

Carbonneau will continue his development this weekend at a prospects tournament, then he will test himself at the Blues' training camp. His dominant play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League grabbed the attention of scouts and independent analysts.

Writing for Elite Prospects, Hadi Kalakeche, raved about him:

The 6’1� winger oozes dynamism out of every pore — quick changes of direction and speed, creative dangles in full stride, a hard, versatile, and accurate release, and some phenomenal playmaking flashes make him a true triple-threat attacker. 

Every move starts with a hip-pocket setup — from there, Carbonneau can deke, pass, or shoot fluidly, and he uses those three threats to disguise his true intentions, frequently making use of look-offs, wrist rolls and pump fakes to trick defenders into bracing for one option, before executing the other. The rest of his game is just as impressive. His skating foundation is strong. He has a highly-polished physical profile and boasts a solid motor in all three zones — even if the defensive anticipation still requires some tweaking.  

He wants to win bad.

However, Carbonneau’s desire to be a game-breaker comes at a price. His game can quickly become too unpredictable, leading to turnovers and frustration. He commands the puck, drives hard at defensive formations, picks them apart with ridiculous ease at this level, and attempts increasingly creative plays — most of which would likely not work at higher levels of play. 

Simplifying his game is the next step.

The skill level he brings is a more than welcome addition to the Blues’ prospect pool, and if he further develops a more level-headed approach, he could be the steal of the 2025 draft at 19th overall, turning into a top-line forward,

Over at the Athletic, Corey Pronman was also impressed with Carbonneau's high ceiling:

Carbonneau has been a top player in the QMJHL. He’s a very strong skater and puck handler who can beat defenders one-on-one at full flight. He’s a physically developed winger who plays hard and can win puck battles fairly often. His style of play is highly translatable to the NHL game with the pace and effort in his shifts. He has a great shot and is often a threat to score from the faceoff dots with his one-timer. The one issue with Carbonneau is that his decision-making at times is questionable, and I wouldn’t call him a natural playmaker. He projects as a top-six winger.

The Blues would be just fine with that.

Here is what else folks were writing about hockey:

Harman Dayal, The Athletic: “Noah Dobson’s arrival will draw most of the attention in Montreal, but (Zack) Bolduc is another new, young piece who should be part of the Canadiens’ core for a long time. Bolduc, the No. 17 pick in 2021, is coming off an impressive rookie season where he scored 19 goals in 72 games despite averaging less than 13 minutes of ice time per game. The 22-year-old winger is a fast skater, a tenacious, heavy forechecker and has a dangerous shot that can beat goalies clean from mid-range distances. That quick, sneaky release, coupled with his soft hands in tight areas, led to approximately a third of his goals being scored from the bumper spot on the power play. Bolduc didn’t get an extended opportunity to play with a high-end playmaker in 51ºÚÁÏ (Oskar Sundqvist was his most common five-on-five linemate), but in Montreal, he should have a golden opportunity to play full-time with Ivan Demidov on the second line. Demidov’s slippery, creative playmaking should mesh well with Bolduc’s ability to win pucks back on the forecheck and finish chances in the slot. The Canadiens gave up [Logan] Mailloux, a right-shot defense prospect with top-four potential, to pry Bolduc out of 51ºÚÁÏ. That’s a significant piece given how highly teams rate right-shot defensemen, but it was easy to justify the cost when you consider how deep Montreal’s blue line is with young talent.â€�

Greg Wyshynski, : “Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said he doesn't want ‘all-out panic’ among the team's fans after star winger Kirill Kaprizov reportedly turned down an NHL record contract extension this week. Kaprizov is in the last year of a five-year, $45 million contract, which carries a no-movement clause. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Wild offered him an eight-year contract extension worth $128 million that Kaprizov and his agent turned down in a meeting Tuesday, according to NHL reporter Frank Seravalli. That average annual value of $16 million would have been $2 million more than that of Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl 's contract, which currently has the highest AAV in the NHL. The total value of the deal would have surpassed the 13-year, $124 million contract signed by Alex Ovechkin with the Washington Capitals in 2008, which remains the richest in NHL history.”

Adam Proteau, The Hockey News: “Despite [Sidney} Crosby’s delicate handling of the current situation in Pittsburgh, it’s readily apparent that he isn’t yet ready to move on from this Penguins organization. Who knows – once Crosby does retire, maybe there’s a universe in which he’s in a key management role and keeps his connection to the game fully intact. He wouldn’t be the first superstar to take a run at being a GM or president of hockey operations, and he won’t be the last. Still, Crosby just turned 38 years old. As a player, he’s got more miles behind him than ahead of him. But taking one more run with Pittsburgh -– and one Olympic run with Team Canada –- sounds like the immediate road ahead for him. No one can question his loyalty, nor his ability. We’re watching one of the final chapters of Crosby’s Hockey Hall of Fame play out in real time, and only time will tell if Crosby finishes his NHL days in the only professional jersey he has ever worn.�

Eric Francis, Sportsnet: “Craig Conroy’s finest hour as GM of the Calgary Flames came mere minutes after the sun rose on a glorious summer morning. Two hours before the team teed off for its annual charity golf tourney, Dustin Wolf walked into the Saddledome for a 7 a.m. contract signing that helped mark a turning point for the franchise. By putting his name to a seven-year, $52.5 million US deal to be the club’s franchise netminder, the 24-year-old Californian helped flip the script on an ugly narrative surrounding the club. After three years of key departures, highlighted by U.S.-born Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Noah Hanifin, Wolf has helped usher in a new era of young franchise pillars who’ve bought into the city and the direction of the club. His signing punctuates a summer in which three Americans committed long-term to a city and a culture they all rave about: Kevin Bahl (six years, $32.1 million), Matt Coronato (seven years, $45.5 million), and now Wolf.�

MEGAPHONE

“Honestly, I'm not afraid to say it. Eventually I'd love to play with him. And whether that's in New Jersey or at what time that takes, at some point, I want to play with Quinn, But yeah, that's the question going around. They talk all day about it up in Vancouver, you know? But yeah, I'd love to play with Quinn at some point.�

New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, to The Athletic, on his desire to play with his brother Quinn someday.